Kana

Also known as Panda Tree, Bofenge, Ebon

Kana is a dense canopy tree endemic to the equatorial rainforests of West and Central Africa, easily recognized by its thick, rough bark and pendulous clusters of yellowish-pink flowers. It produces exceptionally hard, fibrous drupes that house lipid-rich seeds protected by a nearly impenetrable woody endocarp. These durable nuts play a vital ecological role, relying almost exclusively on African forest elephants to swallow and disperse them intact, as well as chimpanzees who famously pound them open using heavy hammerstones.